Getting Tanked

Straw-bale House Update: With the house ready for a roof, most of the effort this week was dedicated to prepping the garage for it's roof. The metal roof bending (for both house and garage) is scheduled for next week. The gable ends on the house have been sheeted (on the uninsulated portions). The open portions (living area) of the end walls will be straw-bale (notched to fit around studs) and plastered to finish flush with the sheeted portions. Then the entire gable end will be strapped and covered with cedar shingles, creating an effective rain-screen for the upper floor. The house picture also shows concrete pillars, upon which will sit cedar posts, which will support the roof over the entry.


Denman Island became a safer place last week.... Thursday our brand, spankin' new tanker arrived. Built to our specs and (just) able to fit through the bay door, she can carry about 40% more water than our existing tankers and provide a formidable fire attack all by itself if required. Because very few homes have access to water from hydrants, tanker size and turnaround time from the water source becomes critical. This tanker will fill, load and dump (more water) faster than our existing tankers. Loaded tankers are extremely dangerous when loaded. They have limited maneuverability and (literally) tons of forward momentum. This doesn't seem to be common knowledge to other traffic on the road, as catching the next ferry is much more important than giving way to a loaded tanker with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Therefore, the most life-saving feature on the new tanker may well be the earth shaking air-horns, which will be impossible to ignore.